Page 102 of The Prince's Fealty

“There was definitely a lot going on,” Tor said sympathetically. “And probably way more happening to you than you were anticipating. Did you know that Nostex was your father?”

Her face twitched, but she nodded. And then hastened to add, “I never imagined that I would get the Fealty! I don’t want it!”

“Then I’m going to tell you something that you probably don’t want to hear,” Tor said as he came to sit down across from them on the light gray couch that probably had stains in it no amount of cleaning would ever get rid of.

There was also a chunk out of one arm, probably from a sword, and one of the legs looked a little crooked. Pel sat down gingerly beside Tor. The furniture held, and he relaxed a little.

They all turned to look at Tor, waiting for his bad news.

He smiled gently at Pamuna. “That’s probably the best reason for you to have it.”

Her brow furrowed.

“King Nostex wanted power,” Tor continued. “Pel’s father started to use the Fealty in the same way, as a tool for his own benefit. But the reason we have Fealty isn’t to give us lots of power. It’s to help us protect and care for people. Do you think that’s something you can do?”

Pel could have kissed Tor, because of course, that was something she already did. Caring for an entire realm wasn’t the same as caring for a baby, but it had the same principles when you framed it like that.

Pamuna looked thoughtful and a lot less panicked than she had mere moments ago, and Lady Nawila looked rather like she wanted to kiss Tor, too.

Pel couldn’t blame her.

Tor smiled at Pamuna. “No part of this is likely to be easy, but you’re going to have Nawila with you, as well as Rin and Terila—and Solil once he gets here. Honestly, you’ll probably have way more advice than you want.”

She snorted, looking a little more relaxed, though she still sounded worried as she said, “I never expected any of this. I don’t know how to run a realm.”

“And that’s why you’re getting all that advice,” Tor pointed out. “Stronex didn’t know how to rule a realm when he started, nor did Gornexi’s parents. This is far from the first time the Fealty has moved unexpectedly, so no one will imagine you’re going to be perfect. If you go with your heart and you do what you believe will be good for people, I don’t think you’ll go wrong.” Then Tor grinned, and his expression turned wry. “I mean, you should listen to people who actually run realms, and there are probably some details here and there like if you can actually afford to do things, but in general, just be good to people, and they’ll return the favor. I believe you can do so much good here.”

Pamuna still looked a little overwhelmed, but maybe like the truth of everything was sinking in, and it wasn’t totally terrible.

Pel added, “My brother is just over the border in Tond, and I’m sure he’d be willing to help with anything you need, too. We all came together to stop Nostex because we want peace. That means all the realms flourish, and no one’s going to leave you to flounder.”

“What happens next?” she asked.

“Before my brother leaves, he’s going to discuss all of this with you. He’ll assess your Fealty and magical status and likely crown you unofficially until we can all get together for a big ceremony. He’ll actually need to do the same thing for Pel’s brother, Bavil, since he inherited under equally shady circumstances.”

Pel elbowed Tor in the ribs, but thankfully, Pamuna cracked a smile.

“Does that sound all right?” Tor asked, still smiling.

Pamuna blew out a breath. “Yes. We’ll figure this out.” She looked at Lady Nawila. “As long as you stick with me.”

Lady Nawila gave her an incredulous look. “As if I’d be anywhere else.”

“Is there anything we can help with before we go?” Pel asked.

Tor straightened, a grin brightening his features. “Ooh, yes, you must be in awe of how helpful we’ve been in every realm we’ve gone to recently.”

Lady Nawila outright snorted, and Pamuna looked like she was trying not to smile.

“I think we can manage,” she said, sounding more certain than she had before. “After all, we have a whole castle full of people, and we need to figure out what they’re capable of, don’t we?”

“All right, then,” Tor said, rising to his feet. “We just wanted to say goodbye and thank you for everything. Once we figure out exactly what’s going on with us, we’ll let you know. Maybe come visit—or have you come visit us, since I’m trying to avoid this castle for the foreseeable future.”

Pel elbowed him again, but Pamuna and Nawila just laughed.

“We’ll make it better,” Pamuna declared, looking a little surprised that the words had come out of her mouth, but then nodding firmly. “By the time you come back, you won’t recognize the place.”

Tor grinned at her. “Challenge accepted.”